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JakeSTamer

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Welcome to the group hyperbunny. This is a great community of people with none of the drama I've found on other forums for what we write. Looking forward to seeing you on the other side of the fence.
 

hyperbunny

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Thanks all!

Hi, Hyperbunny. :)

Sounds like you have had fun writing stories for quite some time. I started writing erotica on forums and instant messengers back in the early 2000s, but most of those stories are long gone. The bits and pieces that survived over the years have scattered homes on my various hard drives. Now, all my files go into specific thumb drives.

I can amass a lot of unfinished works much faster than actually writing one through to completion!

Same. Most my my early work is gone... I never actually "published" anything until 2011, when I found a message board with a really good community that I was comfortable sharing my work with. I had two long form, rambling serials that had a small following and I came in third out of 20 or so in a story contest. That's about the extent of my accomplishments. :) Out of all my works, I maybe only have 10 or so I would call "finished". I guess it should be an important distinction that I am a hobbyist writer- I make no pretensions of being any kind of pro or expert or anything.

Very excited to see what is behind the curtain! *Cranes neck in hopes of getting a peek into the adult section*
 

Maryn

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(Have you contacted AW Admin by private message, saying you're 21 or older, to get that all-important password? She's usually around several times a day.)
 

AW Admin

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I PM'd MacAllister yesterday, waiting patiently. Beta readers would be very nice. I don't care if people know what I write but it's hard to find people to give feedback other then "I liked it" they will read what I write, but don't want to talk about it, lol.

Mac's pretty busy. PM AW Admin (me) and I'll take care of it.
 

hyperbunny

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Just PMed AW Admin! Thank you both (all) for the proactive assistance! :)
 

Maryn

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So. This thread is coming up on ten years old and I'm thinking it's time to replace it with a new sticky. (It would still be here, of course.) I ask that everybody think back to your earliest days here. What information would you have wanted to have, besides knowing you were welcome?

More rules of what is and isn't allowed? Like which ones?
More links to threads of interest? Which ones?
More how-to for the site?
More information about writing erotica?
More info about self-publishing?
More about trade publishing?
More info about publishers?

I'd like the replacement post to have more of what people learned only after they'd been here a while, you know?

Maryn, trying to be a contributing member of society
 

Maryn

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We saw you kind of hanging around the edges and figured we should at least offer you a mimosa and a croissant. Welcome!
 

triceretops

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I figured I'd pop in here and learn some stuff. Stuff that might have come in handy before I wrote my erotica. Or romance. I don't know what the heck it is; it's a four out of five flamer from Satin Romance, and it's coming out tomorrow. I think I'm real curious about who and where the market is for this book. This is my first full-blown hot romance in 27 years of writing and I'm a little blind, wondering where the audience would be for this. Perhaps big romance sites? Or communities, or clubs or organizations? Dunno. It's called Blackmailed Bride.

BTW, Maryn, nice seeing you again. I recognize many of the senior members. I lost touch--got critically ill. Coming back in stages of therapy.
 

Maryn

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How nice to learn you're doing better! I won't go into my usual tirade about being left out from where I kind of knew you when the group pulled up stakes.

The regulars at the erotica board may rarely venture into this public part of it, and they're most likely the people to talk to about promotion and marketing. AW Admin can give you the password to the adults-only portion of the board where they hang out. It rarely takes more than a few hours, an often less, to get her reply.

Maryn, pleased to see you
 

AW Admin

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If you want the erotica forums password you need to PM me with a statement that you are over 21.

Rep comment won't work.

A request without an age declaration won't work; this isn't my decision, it's the law.
 

mf1438

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Yes, I'm a lurker. Critiques are a tough pill for me to swallow. Maybe it comes from submitting papers to my teachers and getting them back with red scribble all over them. So I lurk to learn what's good and bad and hope I don't get ripped to shreds when I muster the courage to post.
 

Maryn

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It's scary to put your writing out there for critique, whether it's the first time or the hundredth. The trick is to put it where there's moderation, so people are not allowed to savage the writer, to follow all the rules and guidelines for posting so people don't start off annoyed, and to remember they're finding fault with the writing, not the person who wrote it.

When and if you post for critique at AW's Share Your Work board, you are encouraged to ask people to be gentle if that's what you need.

Critique lets us hone our strengths and shore up our weaknesses.

Maryn, who can't plot her way out of a paper bag
 

James Ryan

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Revised January 2021--but just a few tweaks

Newcomers arrive a little leery of going public. To any and all, I’m glad you took the step to join us even if you’re only reading at this point.

AbsoluteWrite’s an especially good place for erotica writers, because there aren’t many writing sites that take erotica seriously. AW treats it like any other genre, unlike a lot of writing sites I checked out.

Those who prefer--which is a lot of new people--can read boards (lurk) without posting. Both members and non-members can read all message boards which have no password protection, so any content you post here at the Erotica Board (a category under Writing Genre) must be okay for all ages. Remember, AW welcomes writers 15 and older, and younger people can lurk without joining.

It is never okay to post your writing for critique on this board. Every genre has its own Share Your Work (SYW) board where members with fifty posts can put up their own work for feedback. (Careful, we can tell when you're racing to hit fifty rather than interacting as a member, and that won't work.) The SYW - Erotica board and the password-protected part of the erotica board require a special password which you can get by contacting AW Admin. You must state that you are 21 years old or older. Yes, we are aware that in many places, 18 is an adult, but the higher age requirement is for the legal protection of the site.

It's a good idea to get that password early and to offer your critique to others before asking for any. You'll learn a lot analyzing someone else's erotica writing that you can apply to your own.

That password also allows you entry to the password-protected portion of the Erotica board. There we discuss aspects of writing erotica without concern over being too graphic. We also socialize. Sometimes it's pretty quiet, other times a busy place.

I recommend you read not only the Writing Erotica board but also the general boards about writing fiction of any kind. Just because it's about sex doesn't mean it needn't be well written. You’ll pick up all kinds of tips, meet great people, and quickly learn who knows their shit and who’s a beginner. The Novels board and the Grammar and Syntax board are the equivalent of lots of college with a Creative Writing major. Seriously.

Among the people seen often at the Erotica board are authors who have sold books, ebooks, and/or short stories, and plenty more who will sooner rather than later, along with still more who are only beginning to explore the genre. At every level, people are able and willing to share what they’ve learned on the way, both about writing in the genre and about marketing. It's pretty cool, actually, that we're not competing with but supporting other writers.

While some of us at the Erotica board are pretty open about who we are and what we like when it comes to sex, others are not. It’s not like other genres--nobody assumes the thriller author really wants to kill anybody, or in fact already has. Posting writing intended to turn people on reveals something that’s deeply personal, and we’ll all understand if you choose not to do it, now or ever.

I do hope you and any others who only lurk will feel free to step from the shadows and introduce yourselves, telling us only what you’re comfortable with. I’ll go first: I’m Maryn, the oldest one here (I think) but not the most experienced (I know!), long married, two adult "kids," and I'm a recent transplant to the frozen upper Midwest. I started writing sexy fanfic when the market for mystery short stories got tiny, and found I really liked it. I removed “my guy” and started writing stories nobody could sue me over. (He's still really handsome, though, and I cast him occasionally as one of my characters.)

Maryn, quite long-winded as usual
I haven’t gotten a response from the admin. Does it usually take a few days after requesting the password?
 

Maryn

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Maryn sleeps overnight. Kind of. (I'm not convinced AW Admin sleeps.)

For those who haven't heard, AW Admin retired, so only MacAllister gives out the password to the adults-only part of the Erotica board. MacAllister also works full-time and then some, away from screens, so she may take some time to get back to you, possibly days.

We ask for your patience. AW Admin is not replaceable, alas, and while I now fumble through some of her bazillion functions, this isn't one of them.

Maryn, with a charming smile
 

InkFinger

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I hadn't realized AW Admin retired. How did I miss that? It's a big loss.
 

Maryn

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It's an enormous loss. For years, she carried a very heavy load here at AW as well as in her personal life, until something had to give.

While we all wish her well and are grateful for all she did, I wish she'd left instructions. She knew how to do everything, and I... don't.

Maryn, scared she'll do something horrible and not know how to undo it